Stage Fog: Some Holiday Alternatives
Last week we featured some of the more usual holiday fare, but the San Francisco Bay Area is known for its unusual holiday shows as well. The Nutcracker with gears and hammers? Clowns and toilet paper? Underground clubs and garter belts? Sure, why not?
Nutcracker Nutz & Boltz at The Marsh
Liebe Wetzel and her Lunatique Fantastique has been turning found objects into some of the best new theater in the area. While more recent shows contain more adult themes, like Executive Order 9066's Japanese internment camps, Lun Fan's holiday shows are great fun for all ages. The past few years have seen the shenanigans of the trenchcoat detective in The Wrapping Paper Caper (which spawned two sequels), but this year we're in for a real treat with Nutcracker Nutz & Boltz. Sure, the basic story in still intact, but expect picture frames, a mousetrap, gears, hammers and other such found objects rather than tutus, pointe shoes and fake snow. Well, it's a world premiere, so we may see those things as well: Wetzel's been known to replace cranky objects right up to curtain. But you can count on this being one of the sure bets of the theater's holiday season.
Playing December 3-30
Aga-Boom at Alcazar Theatre
For about half the price of Cirque du Soleil, you can catch some of its best clown veterans in Aga-Boom, which, like the above Lun Fan, also features everyday items. Three clowns take on a world of household cleaning items like rolls of toilet paper and bottles of detergent to create a show combining the best of circus, comedy, experimental theater and audience participation. Because it's just not a clown show until some average Joe looks like a fool on stage.
Playing November 30-December 30
Cabaret at Ashby Stage
If you think you've already seen Cabaret, think again. Because Shotgun Players has hired Russell Blackwood to direct it. Yes, the master of Grand Guignol, onstage kinkiness and double entendres helms this steamy musical that peeps into the extravagant underworld of the Weimar Republic. Chameleon-like Clive Worsley, a Shotgun regular, plays the EmCee, while the excellent Cassidy Brown plays Clifford Bradshaw and Kimberly Dooley takes on Sally Bowles. With a strong cast and an almost-anything-goes director, Cabaret may be the hottest alternative to the usual holiday shows.
Playing November 30 through January 15
Photo from Nutcracker Nutz & Boltz by Bill Faulkner.
For more stage options, check out the listings at the Guardian, the Express, the SF Weekly, and the calendar on Theatre Bay Area's website.